Chicken, Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup…just what the doctor ordered!

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bowlofsoup2I’m baaaaack!!! I hope all of you had really lovely holidays and that 2015 has been a great year for you so far!

I apologize for the radio silence for so long, as even with taking some time off for the holidays, I certainly didn’t intend to stop posting for so long. It appears I became a bit run down by the time Christmas was around the corner and I managed to contract one bug after another. I’m now finishing up my third cold/flu/stomach thingy in as many weeks. I know it’s been going around, but for someone who rarely gets sick, I think I’ve had more than my fair share! Definitely not what I had in mind in ringing in a new year. My heartfelt thanks to you all for hanging in here with me in spite of my lack of posting. I assure you that I’m more than ready to get back to my regular programming.

Winter is now upon us and it’s been very cold here indeed. And with the chilly weather my thoughts naturally turn towards soup. A nice, hearty soup is just the perfect meal to brighten up these short, dark days and warm you up. And a chicken soup has the added benefit of all those famous medicinal qualities.

So, boy (and girl) have I got a great one here for you! This chicken, wild rice and hearty mushroom soup is to die for. It’s a warm, comforting and luxurious soup filled to the brim with tender pieces of chicken breast, a toothsome and nutty mixture of wild rice and brown rice, lots of tasty veggies and some woodsy, earthy mushrooms. The added bonus here is that the chicken makes its own broth for the soup, so nothing is wasted. By finishing this soup with a little cream and some dry sherry, it becomes a creamy and savory bowl of goodness—truly a meal unto itself, although a wee salad alongside or some cheese toast is mighty fine as well. Check it out and see what you think..it’s good for what ails you, or for no ailment at all. I know I’m feeling much better already!

All these veggies are your base.
Along with some sliced baby bella mushrooms.
Cooked and cooling chicken breasts.
Stock from the chicken waiting to be skimmed.
Veggies in the pot.
Add the rice.
Later come the chicken and the mushrooms.
Add the cream and sherry, and dig in!

Chicken, Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Serves 6-8

1 3/4 lb. split chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
10 cups water
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 large sweet onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and minced
a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons of flour
1 cup wild rice blend (1/2 wild rice and 1/2 brown rice)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
8 oz. Baby Bella or Cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dry sherry
3/4 – 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Place the chicken breast into a large, heavy bottomed stock pot and cover with the 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer the chicken until it is tender and just barely done through. Remove the chicken breasts from the liquid and set them aside to cool, reserving all of the “stock” in a large bowl. Allow the stock to cool and skim off as much fat as you can. Remove the skin from the chicken breasts and tear the meat off the bone and into bite sized pieces. Reserve the meat.

Wipe out the stock pot well with a paper towel, and add the butter and olive oil to the pot. Melt the butter and oil together over medium heat, then add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt and some ground pepper over the veggies. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the veggies are softened, about 5-8 minutes. Add the flour and stir for a couple of minutes to cook it, then add the rice and stir it in. Then add the 10 cups of reserved broth and the thyme. If you don’t have a full 10 cups of broth, make up the difference with water. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every once in a while. After 30 minutes, add in the chicken and the mushrooms, and cook for another 15 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper a little bit at a time, and adjust the seasoning to taste. Pour in the cream and the sherry and stir until the soup is hot again. Ladle a generous portion in your bowl and enjoy. Keeps for several days and reheats well, but try not to boil when reheating as it may break the cream.

soupinbowl4

21 thoughts on “Chicken, Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup…just what the doctor ordered!”

  3. I was just looking at techniques for making my own fresh mushroom soup (perhaps with a combo of milk and whipping cream). I’m going to print our recipe too as it sounds so delicious. By the way, I’m familiar with long blogging breaks. Hope you are well and thoroughly done with all the cold/flu stuff and that 2015 is wonderful year for you!

    Best,
    Allison

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    • Hi Allison! I think this would make a great wild mushroom soup, subbing the chicken (about 4 cups) for fresh, wild mushroom mixture and maybe some proportion of that in more rice, as well! That makes me want to try it in fact! 🙂 I’m feeling better, thanks, though still congested I’m sad to say. Hopefully next week will see the end of this mess. Happy New Year to you, too! ~Betsy

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  7. So sorry to hear you’ve been so poorly – hope that’s all behind you now. Chicken soup is so good for helping with bugs and germs and this is a very luxury soup – so hopefully it gives first class medical care as well as looking and tasting amazing!

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    • Thanks Tanya. Yes it has been an unexpectedly sick holiday season for me. Considering I haven’t had the flu in 25 years nor a cold in 4, this has been most unpleasant. I am feeling better and think I’ll have this last round gone by the end of the week, thanks!

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  8. I’m always keeping an eye on your weather! One good thing is being able to warm up to soups like this! I know I made more soup in Atlanta than I do in Florida! I especially love that you used wild rice in this soup, it sounds soo goo. Hope you stay healthy and warm.

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    • Hi Linda! I’m sure you make fewer hearty soups like this in Florida. A nice trade off, I think! 😉 Thanks for your good wishes. I hope this is the last of this dreck for me. I’m really over being sick. The soup has helped progress my recovery this week, though! 😉

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  10. Im so sorry you’ve been under the weather, I’ve been quite fortunate and have avoided all things flu but I have a feeling my days are numbered because JT just came down with something yesterday. This soup looks warming and delicious, although I’d have to omit the cream, sadly I’d find it much too rich but I know JT would love it. Soup is very much on my mind these days. I do hope you’re well on your way to recovery Betsy and with this type of nutritious soup I have no doubt you’re almost there.

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    • Hi Eva, thanks for your good thoughts. I’m completely well now, otherwise wouldn’t be hiking again. I think it was this soup that did the trick! 😉 Sorry to hear that JT is sick and I hope you don’t get it. I hadn’t been sick in 4 years and haven’t had the flu in 25, but this holiday season got me. BTW, there’s only 1 cup of cream to about 3 quarts of soup, so it isn’t too rich really, but I’d understand if you wanted to omit the cream.

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